The world stands at a critical juncture. Global markets have expanded to unprecedented levels and now encompass an unprecedented number of actors. Global trade, global production networks, and global finance have now reached such a scale, degree of complexity, and speed of change that they have become harder to model or predict. At the same time, global governance has become more difficult to achieve and less effective than at any time since World War II. The reason is simple: we are in the midst of a major underlying shift in global power and multipolarization. This paper focuses on one component of this larger problem, namely the preferences and behaviors of China, the most critical rising power, as part of the G20 game. It argues that China?s behavior in the G20 is diverse and gradual, reflecting its fragmented governance process. China is trying to gain greater voice in global governance and to contribute to the stabilization of the global system while avoiding entanglements with institutions it does not control before it truly rises to prominence. The paper builds on qualitative research and primary interviews to review China?s actions across several dimensions of the G20.